Ariel Polizio

Research Scientist. Ultramarathoner. Hypertension and CVD.

[Dr. Clown, PhD @DrClownPhD]

Chuck Norris doesn’t follow the plot. He changes it.

[Andrew Akbashev @Andrew_Akbashev]

The phenomenon of the 'forever postdoc':

Many people who get stuck after a PhD - either as forever postdocs, temporary staff, or adjunct professors.

In academia, it’s often either tenure or nothing.
For these people the problem is - their time is ticking.

There’s no stability - people delay starting families.

There’s no decent income - they can’t build a financial safety cushion. No savings, no decent retirement contribution.

There’s no clear vision - their future becomes too unpredictable and leads to very real issues with physical & mental health.

And their time keeps ticking.

At some point, some of them start asking questions:
“Was my PhD really that useful?”
“Why a highly educated & experienced person is so poorly employed..?”

📍They face the reality:

- In academia, there are almost no positions for older scientists who’ve done two/three postdocs. Academic positions are made for early-career people - those who’ve just finished their PhD or a short postdoc.

- In industry, your academic accomplishments mean very little, and the fact that you’ve never worked in industry means a lot. They don’t want to hire someone who chose an academic track and has zero experience in the ‘real world’.

And again - their time is ticking.
Every. Single. Year.

⭕️ This is the human cost of the ‘academic pipeline’.

Thus - I strongly, strongly advise everyone considering this ‘forever postdoc’ path to think TEN TIMES before deciding to do it.

And find a way out as soon as possible if you've already started down this path. The more you delay, the more it slips away.

[Clarín @clarincom]

ÚLTIMAS PALABRAS

El actor Eric Dane grabó una entrevista para “Famous Last Words” con la condición de que se emitiera después de su muerte. En el mensaje, dirigido a sus hijas Billie y Georgia, pidió vivir en el presente, enamorarse de una pasión, elegir bien a los amigos y luchar con dignidad hasta el final. Falleció ayer.

El especial dura 50 minutos y forma parte de una serie que recoge testimonios póstumos de figuras públicas.

El mensaje a sus hijas
“Billie y Georgia, estas palabras son para ustedes.
Lo intenté. A veces tropecé, pero lo intenté.
En general, nos la pasamos genial, ¿no?

Recuerdo todos los momentos que pasamos en la playa. Ustedes dos, yo y mamá en Malibú, Santa Mónica, Hawai, México. Las veo ahora jugando en el mar durante horas, mis bebés de agua.

Esos días, con doble sentido, fueron el cielo.

Quiero decirles cuatro cosas que aprendí de esta enfermedad, y espero que no solo me escuchen, sino que realmente me oigan.

Primero, vivan ahora, ahora mismo, en el presente.
Es difícil, pero aprendí a hacerlo. Durante años, me iba mentalmente, perdía la cabeza por largos períodos, revolcándome en la preocupación y la autocompasión, la vergüenza y la duda. Repasaba decisiones, me cuestionaba: “Debería haber hecho esto”. “Nunca debería haber hecho eso." No más.

Por pura supervivencia, me veo obligado a quedarme en el presente. Pero no quiero estar en ningún otro lugar.
El pasado contiene arrepentimientos. El futuro sigue siendo desconocido. Así que tienen que vivir ahora. El presente es todo lo que tienen. Atesórenlo. Aprecien cada momento.

En segundo lugar, enamórense. No necesariamente de una persona, aunque también lo recomiendo. Pero enamórense de algo. Encuentren su pasión, su alegría.
Encuentren eso que las haga querer levantarse por la mañana. Les impulse durante todo el día.

Me enamoré por primera vez cuando tenía más o menos su edad. Me enamoré de la actuación.
Ese amor finalmente me ayudó a atravesar mis horas más oscuras, mis días más oscuros, mi año más oscuro.
Todavía amo mi trabajo. Todavía lo espero con ilusión.
Todavía quiero ponerme frente a la cámara y desempeñar mi papel. Mi trabajo no me define, pero me entusiasma.

Encuentren algo. Encuentren algo que les entusiasme. Encuentren su camino. Su propósito. Su sueño. Y luego vayan por él. De verdad, vayan con todo.

En tercer lugar, elijan a sus amigos sabiamente.
Encuentren a su gente y permitan que las encuentren,
y entréguense a ellos. Los mejores les devolverán lo mismo. Sin juzgar. Sin condiciones. Sin preguntas.
Estoy muy agradecido de mi familia y amigos más cercanos. Todos y cada uno de ellos dio un paso al frente.

Ya no puedo hacer ni las pequeñas cosas que antes hacía. No puedo manejar por la ciudad, ir al gimnasio, tomar un café, pasar el rato. Aprendí a abrazar las alternativas. Mis amigos vienen a mí. Comemos juntos,
vemos un partido, escuchamos música. No hacen nada especial. Simplemente están presentes. Eso es un montón. Simplemente estar.

Amen a sus amigos con todo lo que tienen. Aférrense a ellos. Las entretendrán, las ayudarán, las apoyarán,
y algunos incluso las salvarán.

Por último, luchen con cada fibra de su ser y con dignidad. Cuando enfrenten desafíos, de salud o cualquier otro tipo, luchen. Nunca se rindan.
Luchen hasta el último aliento.

Esta enfermedad se está apoderando lentamente de mi cuerpo, pero nunca me va a quitar el espíritu.

Ustedes dos son personas diferentes. Pero ambas son fuertes y resilientes. Heredaron la resiliencia de mí.
Ese es mi superpoder. Me tiran abajo y vuelvo a levantarme, y sigo regresando. Me levanto una y otra y otra vez. Mark dice que soy como un gato. Excepto que un gato tiene nueve vidas, y yo voy fácilmente por la número quince.

Así que cuando algo inesperado las golpee,
y lo hará, porque así es la vida, luchen y enfréntenlo con honestidad, integridad y gracia, aunque parezca insuperable.

Espero haberles demostrado que se puede enfrentar cualquier cosa.
Se puede enfrentar el final de los días.
Se puede enfrentar el infierno con dignidad.

Luchen, chicas, y mantengan la cabeza en alto.

Billie y Georgia, ustedes son mi corazón. Son todo para mí.

Buenas noches.

Las amo.

Estas son mis últimas palabras.”

Video: Netflix

[Kevin Dahlstrom @Camp4]

Today I turn 55.

I’m the fittest, sharpest, and happiest I’ve ever been.

If I’m an outlier, it’s not because I’m built different or discovered a secret formula. The truth is far less glamorous:

It’s a million tiny choices, compounded over decades.

Here are 55 of them:

1. Walk 15+ miles a week, even if you do other exercise. Humans are uniquely made to move slowly over long distances—it’s critical to longevity.

2. Develop a writing practice. It’s the single best way to sharpen your mind. And remember, you don’t have to be a good writer to write. Start with 10 minutes a day.

3. Swap out your toothpaste, deodorant, lotions, soap, shampoo, and other personal care products for natural versions. Here’s a rule of thumb: Don’t put anything on your skin that you couldn’t safely eat.

4. If you have a positive thought about someone, don’t keep it to yourself—share it immediately. Encouragement defies the laws of physics: When you give energy, you also receive it.

5. Wear shoes with a wide forefoot (I like Topo Athletic) and wear toe spreaders around the house (search “yoga toes” on Amazon). Spine health begins with the feet.

6. Get sunlight regularly. Moderate sun exposure (without sunscreen) is hugely important for overall health.

7. Do a 3-minute deep (“ass to grass”) squat every morning. Deep squats are often called the anti-aging exercise. It’s been said that, “It’s not that you can’t do deep squats because you’re old, it’s that you’re old because you can’t do deep squats.”

8. Explore minimalism (it’s not what you think it is).

9. Set boundaries on toxic relationships. We tend to cling to relationships past their expiration date, and it takes a bigger toll on our health than we recognize.

10. Eat real food. Not too much. Don’t eat garbage. Binge occasionally. Fast occasionally. That’s the diet.

11. Learn about FIRE. It’s a great framework for financial success.

12. Don’t take antibiotics except in emergency situations. They’re massively over-prescribed and aren’t needed in most cases. Antibiotics have done untold damage to our guts, which is where health begins. Great natural alternatives are out there.

13. Get 8 hours of quality sleep each night. To optimize sleep:
—Don’t eat after 6pm
—Get blackout shades and cover LEDs with black tape
—No screens 2 hours before bed
—Try ashwagandha (an herb) to calm the nervous system

14. Stop drinking, even in moderation. People find all sorts of ways to justify drinking, but there’s no escaping the simple fact that alcohol is a toxin and it limits your potential.

15. Travel as much as possible. Nothing expands the mind like seeing the world. And travel doesn’t have to be expensive—the best experiences happen outside of fancy resorts, when you live like a local.

16. Let go of resentment. When you forgive someone, you release the prisoner, and the prisoner isn’t them… it’s you.

17. Show up on time, every time. Poor time management limits success more than most people realize. If you struggle with punctuality, stop everything else and fix that first.

18. Spend lots of time in nature and touch the earth. Humans evolved over 300k years to live in harmony with nature, and only recently have we retreated indoors. If you don’t spend time outside, you’re fighting biology (hint: You won’t win.)

19. Stop doing dumb things. As Leo Tolstoy said, “People try to do all sorts of clever and difficult things to improve life instead of doing the simplest, easiest thing—refusing to participate in activities that make life bad.”

20. Find your happy place and (eventually) move there. Most people live where they live because... that's where they live. We are products of our environment—choose yours carefully.

21. Find a hobby and pursue mastery. You can’t have a happy life without a passionate pursuit that isn’t your vocation. Your work—even if you enjoy it—isn’t enough.

22. Avoid mainstream medicine except as a last resort. The results are in—our healthcare (or more appropriately, sick care) system is badly broken and only makes people sicker.

23. Have a mindset of abundance. There is no advantage to being a pessimist—even if you’re right, it’s a miserable way to live. In a very real way… whatever you believe, you’re right!

24. Do hard things. Choose courage over comfort. Everything you want is on the other side of fear and hard work. As Jerzy Gregorik said, “Hard choices, easy life. Easy choices, hard life.”

25. Ignore haters. Hurt people hurt people. Negative/toxic people live in a prison of their own design. Don’t join them!

26. Say no. Protect your time and energy like it’s your most precious asset… because it is.

27. Become a water snob. As an alien said on Star Trek, humans are “ugly bags of mostly water.” You are what you drink—literally! We have Mountain Valley Spring water delivered in glass 5-gallon jugs and also have whole-house water filter (Aquasana Rhino).

28. Stop drinking sodas and sugary energy drinks. After a few weeks you won’t miss them, and a few months later they’ll seem disgusting. Refined sugar causes inflammation, which is the root of most disease.

29. If you’re over 35, find a good functional/longevity medicine doctor and start tracking your hormones. Modern life is hell on the endocrine system and restoring healthy hormone levels can change your life. As we get older, we either accept a slow decline in performance or we do something about it—choose the latter!

30. Develop a morning routine and follow it faithfully. Win the morning, win the day!

31. Invest in experiences, not things. People frequently regret buying things, but rarely regret investing in great experiences (especially when shared with loved ones). Remember, there’s nothing you can buy in a mall that you’ll remember in ten years.

32. Explore spirituality. It’s arrogant and small-minded to believe there’s nothing going on in our universe that is beyond our comprehension. We know less about our universe than an ant meandering on a sidewalk understands about this planet.

33. Have a strong bias toward action—doing rather than talking. If you ask a bunch of old people about their regrets, they’ll talk about the things they *didn't* do—the shots they didn’t take—more than the things they did do (even if it went wrong). As Wayne Gretzky famously said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Most people don’t take enough shots.

34. Stay lean. Men in particular are obsessed with muscle mass these days, but bulk doesn’t age well. The goal is to be strong but lean. The fittest guys in their 50s and beyond aren’t meatheads, they’re lean guys who are serious about a sport.

35. Curate your inner circle carefully. Surround yourself with people you admire and who challenge you to grow. Remember, we’re the average of our 5 closest relationships.

36. Be the fittest version of yourself. Your body is your only vessel for experiencing life—so treat it as such. Fitness isn’t working out a few times a week, it’s a lifestyle. The older you get, the more time you need to devote to your health.

37. Take the time to appreciate art and beauty in all its forms.

38. Think globally, but act locally. Too many people put their energy into far-away problems they don’t understand and can’t impact, while ignoring problems right under their nose. Want to change the world? Start at home.

39. Try psychedelics. It’s one of those things everyone should do at least once, and it might be the breakthrough you’ve been looking for.

40. Limit bad habits, including unhealthy thought patterns. We all have them—practice avoidance and find substitutes. Get professional help if needed.

41. Be a lifelong learner. Your brain is just like a muscle—if you don’t feed and flex it regularly, it will atrophy.

42. Find your purpose. People with a strong sense of purpose are happier and live longer. Lack of purpose sucks energy and magnifies depression.

43. Only take advice from people who embody the traits you want to have. Talk is cheap—emulate those who have DONE it.

44. The goal is not to retire and do nothing, it’s to build a great day-to-day life that you don’t need to escape. A life of leisure is a slow death. Happiness isn’t possible without a little struggle, uncertainty, and skin in the game.

45. Have fun! Do frivolous and silly things that make you smile. As George Bernard Shaw famously said, “We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”

46. Whatever you want to do or achieve in life, start NOW. Don’t fall victim to “someday thinking” because someday never comes.

47. Accumulate assets—things that grow in value over time. It’s the #1 habit of rich people, and it can be done in tiny chunks. Instead of spending $100 on an impulse purchase that has no lasting value, put that money into an index fund or Bitcoin. It becomes addictive (in a good way).

48. Don’t ignore the big 3 canaries in the coal mine for health:
—Low libido (and ED)
—Frequent sinus & respiratory issues
—Depression
These usually aren’t medical conditions in themselves, they’re symptoms of an underlying problem. Find a good doc (outside of the mainstream) and figure out the root cause.

49. Have a clear vision for your future. How can you decide which direction to go if you haven’t clearly defined the destination? It sounds obvious, but 95% of people haven’t defined their “Ideal End State” in detail and in writing. (Check out my thread on this topic.)

50. Make your own decisions. We live in an era where most of what society tells us is wrong. Don’t be afraid to break from societal norms—if people say you’re crazy, it’s a sign that you’re doing something right.

51. Get hardcore about mobility exercise. As you age, it’s usually the knees, hips, and lower back that limit physical performance. 30 min a couple times a week can spare you a lifetime of pain. YouTube is a great resource.

52. Go all in on family. Get married, stay married, have kids. Burn the boats. In the end, family is all that matters.

53. Be ruthless with your time. Money comes and goes. Time only goes. Audit your calendar ruthlessly—cut the trivial, double down on the meaningful, and spend your hours like your life depends on it. (Because it does.)

54. Have a strong bias toward action. Be curious, try things, meet people—it’s how you increase your surface area for serendipity, the most powerful unseen force in our lives.

55. Reinvent yourself every decade. Over time, we slowly drift off course from our priorities, values, and true identity. Take stock and don’t be afraid to hit the reset button. Bold, calculated moves made for the right reasons almost always pay off—usually even more than you can imagine.

🎁 P.S. If you enjoyed this post, would you give me a birthday gift? Repost or comment with the item number(s) you liked best?

[Dr. Catharine Young @DrCatharineY]

Because it’s officially Halloween season 🎃

[ferrodeprimera @ferrodeprimera]

A los que quieren encontrar explicaciones y polémicas sobre por qué y cómo es que Ferro ganó anoche con un golazo que hizo que la Liga Nacional esté en los primeros planos de todo el mundo, pásenle este video. A ver si alguna vez buscan la polémica en los errores del poderoso.

[La Liga @LigaNacional]

EL TIRO GANADOR DE EMILIANO LEZCANO A ARO A ARO

INCREÍBLE 😱😱😱😱😱

#PlayoffsLaLiga

[UVA CVRC @UVACVRC]

Upcoming CVRC Seminar featuring Dr. Nakagawa on April 3rd

[Ariel Polizio @polin76]

It is a great pleasure to show our last publication about clonal hematopoiesis and hypertension. We demonstrated that CH stimulates the renal sympathetic system by NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Renal denervation can prevent it.
doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.124.23969

[UVA CVRC @UVACVRC]

CVRC Seminar Reminder - Dr. Justin Van Beusecum will be our speaker tomorrow 2-13-25.

[Justin P. Van Beusecum @Jvanbeusecum]

I had the fantastic oppurtunity to visit with @polin76 and the Cardiovascular Research Center at the University of Virginia. It was amazing to interact with passionate trainees and faculty members and present our recent findings. Thank you so much for the invitation!

[Annet Kirabo D.V.M., M.Sc., Ph.D., F.A.H.A. @annetkiraboc1]

Honored to give a talk at ⁦@UVA⁩ and connect with the legendary Gary Owens, such an inspiring leader in vascular biology! Thanks @arielpolizio, for the invite & opportunity to share our work. Excited for the collaborations ahead! #ScienceTalks #Grateful 🙏🏿

[UVA CVRC @UVACVRC]

Upcoming CVRC Seminar featuring Dr. Annet Kirabo on December 5, 2024

[Circulation Research @CircRes]

ICYMI: the latest episode of #DiscoverCircRes is out. @StHilaireLab chats with Dr. Ken Walsh & @polin76 about their study Experimental TET2 Clonal Hematopoiesis Predisposes to Renal Hypertension Through an Inflammasome-Mediated https://t.co/snYlUdlSdF

[Circulation Research @CircRes]

@polin76 found individuals with #CH may be at an increased risk for #hypertension & anti-inflammatory therapies make be particularly efficacious in this patient population. Learn how #NLRP3 inhibitor could reverse hypertension https://t.co/K73FRVITqc

@conn_pann_fun

[Circulation Research @CircRes]

1/5 New @CircRes podcast #DiscoverCircRes https://t.co/snYlUdlSdF @StHilaireLab chats with Dr. Ken Walsh & @polin76 about their study Experimental TET2 Clonal Hematopoiesis Predisposes to Renal Hypertension Through an Inflammasome-Mediated https://t.co/zvLZBzdIGh @MedicineUVA

[Ariel Polizio @polin76]

Again, thanks for the editorial comment to Caitlyn Vlasschaert @DrFlashHeart , Steven D. Crowley, and Alex Bick @AlexBickMDPhD, shared with the beautiful paper from Annet Kirabo @annetkiraboc1.
.

[Circulation Research @CircRes]

@CircRes Oct 11th Issue is Out! https://t.co/IiX6g6rOKd

Cover: The image illustrates the complex interaction between immune cells & the kidney, contributing to the salt-sensitivity of blood pressure.

[Ariel Polizio @polin76]

I am thrilled to announce the publication of our Circulation Res paper https://t.co/ARqYZdqml1
Thanks for the editorial comment to Steven D. Crowley and Alex Bick @AlexBickMDPhD, shared with the beautiful paper from Annet Kirabo @annetkiraboc1 .
CirRes podcast is coming in Oct!

[Ariel Polizio @polin76]

@annetkiraboc1 @CircRes @saleemMMH @ashleypitzer @LErtuglu @CWanjallaMDPhD @PaulKastner128 @DoctorAlbritton @drtasir2011 @AlexBickMDPhD Congratulations!